Qi Xutian let go of his hand and rubbed his reddish skin. MingEr's eyes in the steamy bath were like the cold moon in the sky, attracting his attention. Thinking of his previous words, he asked, "MingEr means you will accompany me, but there would be nothing else between us? When you grow up, when I want you, you are willing. But, at that time, what would the relationship between us be in your eyes?"
He stood up and pulled the clothes from the side, "Isn't Father considering things too early? What will happen between you and I, wait for a few years to see." As the son of this man, he enjoyed his Father Emperor's care and indulgence. As a man, he also appreciated his ways of dealing with affairs. Even if he had deceived himself, it was normal for an Emperor. There were only two kinds of people in this world for him - the ones he could use and the ones he could not. If he had failed to prove his ability this time, his Father Emperor might have been disappointed, but then he would have abandoned him. Before he had the ability to protect himself, he wouldn't allow this to happen, so he had to prove himself.
Qi Xutian helped him to tie his robe, then loosely put on his own robe and hugged him back to the bed-chamber. "You always think that I only have a temporary interest in you. If you weren't so young, why would I need to be so patient? It has already been proven to you." Putting his small body on the bed, Qi Xutian lay to the side, embraced his body in his arms gently.
They both looked at each other, Qi Mingyue examined the look in his eyes and couldn't help asking, "Why is Father Emperor so persistent towards me? Even though we have a similar fate, you treat me differently just because of this?"
"You don't know how attractive you look. Although you are only six years old, your charm and temperament can make people forget your age and has fascinated innumerable people. Therefore, how can I not take advantage of this opportunity to tie you to my side firmly, so as not to miss such a treasure?" The smile on his face is a little serious, a little playful and frivolous, "MingEr, grow up soon, accompany me, and stand beside me. As long as you want, this world can be controlled."
"Control the world? Not interested." Qi Mingyue snorted softly, pulling his still wet hair and fiddled with it in his hands, "This world is in chaos, the tide rises and it also falls within its own rules, even for a while. If you take control of everything, you would still have to let go of everything at the end. Moreover, now that the three kingdoms of Cang He, An Yang and Lian Tong are standing up, if they can live in peace, why should we waste our effort to cause trouble when everything is safe and sound? Father Emperor can't be so tasteless. This world, could it still be in your eyes? I think that if you had the intention to seize the world, you would have acted long ago and wouldn't have been enthroned all these years without any action." This man was a madman. As long as he wanted to, he would naturally seize it. The world's eyes and censure wouldn't shake him.
Letting him lie in his arms, Qi Xutian took his hair, slowly pulled it through his palm and dried it with internal force. He said with a smile, "MingEr really knows me. The world is too big, why bother to collect it in the palm of my hand? Moreover, what I wanted has already been found." While holding his silky black hair in his hand and playing with it, Qi Xutian continued, "I want you, Qi Mingyue."
Qi Xutian's words were like a declaration and made his heart tremble. Both of them, father and son, were the same kind of people. They would only engage with the things they were interested in. Once they lose interest, they would turn indifferent. For now, they were interested in each other, but who knows what would happen in the future?
Qi Mingyue closed his eyes in the familiar embrace, "Since Father Emperor is so determined, why not wait a few more years?" He felt the arms around him tighten. The man hugging him didn't speak anymore, he couldn't see that in the darkness, the person embracing him was looking at him with burning eyes.
When he woke up the next day, he looked at the sky in surprise, "Father hasn't gotten up early?"
Qi Xutian looked at his drowsy eyes and cute face, couldn't help but lean forward and get a sweet kiss, "It's been a long time since morning court ended, my MingEr, it's rare to see you sleeping so sweetly. I couldn't bear to wake you up. When you get up, you usually practice martial arts, if not, then you are busy practising writing. You wake up early and sleep late, making me feel distressed. You don't have to go to the royal school in the future. It would be useless for you anyway. Why don't you follow me to morning court instead? What do you think?"
"As long as the ministers don't say much, I don't mind." Since the world has long known that he was favoured, what would a bit more favour change? It was expected that the faces of those courtiers would be very interesting. Struggling to sit up from Qi Xutian's arms, Hong Qui and Ying Ran in the outer room heard the sound and stood on the side to change his clothes for him. They didn't expect Qi Xutian to frown at them.
"Leave." Hong Qui and Ying Ran knew that His Highness had returned safely and both were very happy because he came back unharmed, but before they could speak, His Majesty ordered them to leave. Both of them shared a look, put down the clothes and washing utensils, and walked out quietly.
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Qi Mingyue began to dress and waited for him to speak.
Qi Xutian took the clothes from his hand to help him wear them. In the silent room, only the sound of clothes rustling could be heard. When he was almost finished, he pulled Qi Mingyue on his lap and said with a calm face, "Yesterday, I didn't ask but did you think I didn't hear it?"
He blinked and showed a rare expression of childish confusion, "What does Father mean?"
"Ya Qing." Saying these two words, Qi Xutian seemed very displeased, a trace of anger could be perceived, "If I didn't ask, you wouldn't have mentioned it. Did you think that I would ignore your life and let this thing kill you? Or do you want me to watch you vomit blood and die, and test whether I really care about you? Hmm?"
Seeing him getting angrier and angrier, and a powerful sense of oppression burst out. Qi Mingyue tried to control his breathing, and smiled, "Am I so stupid? Would I ever treat my own life as a joke? Since Father believes that I'm not a weak person, it is necessary to know that I would never let myself fall to the point where I can only wait for death. "
Qi Xutian calmed down and patted him, and he sighed helplessly, "I am concerned about you. How could I not know that you have a solution? But I'm still a little uneasy, even though Ya Qing has the effect of increasing skill, it is still harmful to you, especially its toxicity which is unsolvable if you don't regularly consume fresh human blood. Whose blood did you use while taking it? If it was Jing Huang's, you shouldn't have killed him."
"Father Emperor doesn't have to worry about me, it's Wu Yao." After saying this in a soft voice, a ghostly white figure fell in front of the two.
Qi Xutian and the shadow guards hiding in the dark were surprised. Unexpectedly, there was someone in this world who could avoid their eyes and ears. Looking at him, he seemed to have been hiding in the dark for a long time and they weren't even aware of him!
"Yesterday, you were also influenced by the drug. Are you alright?" He took the antidote but forgot to give it to Wu Yao.
"Alright." His words were still as brief as usual, it made him wonder if he didn't actually need the antidote or had slept it off.
Qi Mingyue knew he was alright and stopped asking. He sat in Qi Xutian's arms, whose hair was loose and the robe was unfastened, revealing the strong muscles on his chest. While he himself had loose hair, full of laziness yet still elegant. The older man held him and caressed his loose, dark hair. The two were intimate, but no one thought that it was wrong. The shadow guards were already used to it. Wu Yao couldn't see them. Even if he could, he wouldn't care.
Qi Mingyue stared at Wu Yao's impassive face and asked him, "How often do Ya Qing's attacks occur, do you know?"
"Once every three days, the seven orifices bleed."
Although Wu Yao said it briefly, it sounded unbearably painful. If he wanted to relieve the poison, he must drink Wu Yao's blood until the poison got detoxified. Wu Yao used to be Jing Huang's blood source. He had to cut his wrist and bleed for others once every three days. Qi Mingyue couldn't fathom how he felt in his heart.
"Will you be willing to use your own blood to solve the poison of Ya Qing for MingEr?" Qi Xutian looked at Wu Yao, his eyes were deep and indistinguishable.
"Willing." Wu Yao replied without any need for encouragement.
"But I don't want to." Qi Xutian said, withdrew his eyes, and glanced down at the young child in his arms. "I have another way to detoxify you but it's not easy. Do you want to?"
If he could, he did not want to use the blood of Wu Yao to detoxify. He let Wu Yao go, then asked: "What's the other way?"
"Zuizhu." When Qi Xutian said these words, Qi Mingyue wasn't very surprised. Believing that since Jing Huang so painstakingly wanted to get this thing, it must have a special effect, "Consort Hua also entered the palace for it?"
"Yes, I knew her plan long ago and let her into the palace. I met her in Jianghu at that time. In order to get the bead, she worked hard, but she couldn't resist the splendour, wealth and glory of the palace. In recent years, there were no more movements, so I had to lead them."
"What's the use of it? Increase skill? Or does it make people invincible?" He guessed.
Qi Xutian revealed a meaningful expression, but did not answer immediately, "Do you know the age of your Father?"
"Father Emperor has been on the throne since you were sixteen years old, it has been ten years since then." Qi Xutian was about the same age as he was in the previous life. In this life, it was the age of his Father. "Now, you should be twenty-six." And he was only six years old. Wasn't Father Emperor as good as a paedophile? Otherwise, why would he always love him like this?
Finding his weird gaze directed towards himself, Qi Xutian squeezed his small face, "Don't think that I don't know what's going on in your little head, what I'm interested in is not just MingEr's body." He said and pressed a kiss on Mingyue's forehead, "In those days, when I was traversing through Jianghu, I was lucky to have gotten Zuizhu, but I didn't know its full effect back then. After taking it, I discovered that in addition to its ability to increase power, it also has the incredible effect of bone replacement and marrow cleansing. It not only makes people invincible but also has the effect of making practising internal skills more effective; I can achieve results with half the effort. Even if its consumer reaches the end of their lives, they can stay young."
"Father means that your body has been completely reconfigured and you have become invincible. Even after ten years pass by, you will still look like you do now?"
"Yes. I was young when I first entered Jianghu, I accidentally got it, but didn't know that its effect was so magical. After ascending the throne, I found a description of it in the palace's secret book. Only then did I learn that the bead was incredibly rare and there was one hidden in the palace. It has been known for many years and is regarded as a treasure."
"No wonder Jing Huang tried every means to get it. Since it is so precious, why is Father Emperor willingly using it? The poison in my body can be relieved with Wu Yao's blood. For the purpose of detoxifying this poison, wouldn't it be too large a cost to pay?" Father Emperor despised the blood of others?
Qi Xutian's eyes sank, "If you want to detoxify, MingEr must drink Wu Yao's blood. I do not want to see you rely on someone else to be saved. If someone has to save you, that person must be me!" He didn't want to see the blood of others entering his body. He wouldn't allow others' blood to mix with his. He must be the closest person to MingEr.
As soon as his words fell, Qi Mingyue understood his thoughts, "En, Father Emperor wants me to take the bead, then I will take it." The possessiveness of his Father seemed more and more obvious. He, however, didn't dislike it.
After taking the bead, he immediately felt pain in his body. He couldn't tell whether it was hot or cold. From time to time, it felt as if his skeleton was being torn apart. Lying on the bed in a pain-filled trance, he was sweating excessively. Qi Xutian sat behind him to help him absorb the medicine faster by using his internal force.
He saw that his MingEr was so pained. Although he felt very distressed, he could only look. He had once taken Zuizhu as well, so he naturally knew the pain and suffering. If an ordinary child took it, they might want to die at once, but MingEr was different. He believed that no matter how hard it was, MingEr would be able to persevere.
After tossing and turning several times, Qi Mingyue's was in a confused state, but he felt a pair of hands slowly moving on his back. A warm current kept him from fainting until there was a roar in his ears; he was shocked, then darkness struck him. He fell backwards into a familiar embrace without consciousness.
Watching him fall in his arms, his small face as pale as snow, even his pink lips were bitten until they were bleeding, Qi Xutian felt a trace of regret, but the thought that MingEr would be able to avoid all poisons from now on and could benefit greatly when practising martial arts made him endure his heartache, and determine that this method was the best method. With a sigh, he took off Qi Mingyue's sweaty robes and called for Hong Qui to prepare another set of clothes and a bath. He took the unconscious boy to the bath to wash his body, then put on a clean inner robe before returning to the dragon bed to let him lie down and sleep.
"For the next few days, you don't have to come to serve. He has just taken medicine and needs to rest for a few days. He wants people to stay away, don't disturb him." Qi Xutian instructed both Hong Qiu and Ying Ran and left to deal with government affairs.
Because of the disappearance of Qi Mingyue, the people in the palace in the past few days could be said to be in a state of panic and anxiety. The envoys of An Yang were particularly uneasy. Lian Tong was nothing but a good friend of Cang He. Since that day, the prince never returned to the palace. There was restlessness every day and as time passed, everyone felt increasingly cautious and apprehensive.
Since Qi Mingyue snuck into the palace with Jing Huang, no one knew that the Second Prince had returned. Seeing that His Majesty was still passive, they secretly began to speculate. Could it be that the Second Prince's disappearance hid some secrets? Wasn't it rumoured that one of the two princes was an alien star? Could it be that he was discovered by His Majesty and was disposed of?
While the rumours were spreading, Qi Xutian announced that the Second Prince had been rescued, was frightened, and was recuperating. So the winds were all gone, but when the Second Prince was not seen within the next few days, the atmosphere in the palace was still a little unnatural.
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